Butte semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1886-1890, 1887-01-01
TALK ON SMUGGLING.
NO MORE PlRATiCAL SHIPS AND
CREWS AS OF YORK.

IN there are those VINO DeueT ne neVe
existed at all. But smuggling has nc
stopped. Only now they do not 60 in gang
and sail their own ships. They do not wea
red shirts and cutlasses nowadays. The
are entirely respectable people, and 60 in th
best society. They wear fine clothes an
diamonds, and are very friendly with tn
customs officers. The smuggling is nov
done mostly by fashionable people VIII
travel and by business men.
ave can never tell how much is done,
said a special agent of the government to
reporter. II have no doubt an immens
number of things are landed without duty
There is no such thing as a band of SNUG
| glers, but nearly every steamer brings owe
some c~ontraband goods.
"They are generally fine lacss, millinery
expensive tailor trimmings, and the like. 4
| great many business men go abroad witt
things. They are very expensive, and many
thousand dollars worth can be brought Owe
in a very small space. Expensive feathers
fine velvets and ribbons, laces, silk brait
and trimmings of all sorts take up but littlt
space and are subject to high duty. Some
times smugglers get caught. We can't tel
how often they don't. Jewelry is Struggled
in to a great extent, particularly diamonds
Nearly all the diamonds brought to thi.
country are smuggled. We know that
great quantity of these gems are imported,
but we have never collected duty on many.
Such an immense value can BE- carried in SC
small a place that it is easy to evade the
customs officers. Ten thousand dollars
worth of diamonds might be carried in a
mans vest pocket. Who would think to
search him unless he wa suspected of Snug
Cling? The customs officers can't search
everybody.
"But then" he added, a if he feared he
was Offering too much encouragement to VIC
lations of the customs, "you must not think it
altogether a safe business. You might get
caught when you least expected. Men who
think they are perfectly safe often fall into a
trap. There are people who are always
ready to give information that will lead to
the u%ncovering of a smuggler. The govern
ment was warned by an anonymous letter
not long since that a certain party would sail
from Europe on q certain steamer, and that
If we would search him we would find dia-
monds. We were on the watch. He was a
very g%entlemanly man of fine appearance and
good address. He had only the ordinary lug
gage; was perfectly willing that it should be
searched, but was amused at the idea of being
suspected of smuggling. The officers felt
rather cheap after a fruitless search, and
were apologizing for the trouble they had
given him, when n of them picked up q
cake of soap out of his dressing case. There
was nothing peculiar in the appearance of the
soap, but when the officer handled it too.
roughly it broke open and out rolled the little
sparkling gems. The inside of the cake had
been followed out and $4,000 worth of dia-
monds slowed away in the cavity. Had we
not been notified he would have been per.
fectly safe and got through as the others nave
done. But no man can be sure that he will
not be the one to be caught. Our informers
are everywhere. The government can give a
reward of as much as half the value Of the
goods seized to the informer. This is an in
ducement to many people to report any cases
that come under their notice. There are
people constantly on the lookout on the other
'ide, and we are notified when to look for
'mugglers. A great many patriotic citizens
nave an antipathy for smugglers, and do, as
! matter OF principle, report every one they
ind. Preachers are particularly apt to do
his. The cloth is our best source of informa-
ion. People generally brag, on going
lbroad, that when they return they will
'ring SO and so without duty. We generally |
lear of this and are on the lookout. ONLY |
he other day a gentleman came to the office |
nd informed me of parties who were going
o bring over a lot Of valuable things. He
lid it merely because he hated smuggling.
GIVE THEM AWAY.
"Their fellow passengers frequently give
hem away. In coming over that way, all
rowded In close quarters, and away out at
ga, people become more confidential than
hey would under ordinary circumstances,
they tell each other what they have in
heir trunks that will escape duty. Some
mes a man will give confidence in order to
it. He will tell how he is going to fool
le customs officers, and, like the man with
1e moist eye,' get the confidence Of others
no want to do the same thing. OF course
3 never has any contraband goods himself,
nd he sees that the rest don't get through the
lstom house. Sometimes passengers get
'ad with each other and turn informer out
spite. Women frequently do this. l have
lard, too, Of information being given as q
joke which afterward turned out
j
but experienced smugglers," continued
special agent, 'do not get caught titus.
hey are generally known as dealers, and
cir baggage is very closely watched, but
ey never make a confidant of any one.
'urists do much smuggling. They bring
esents to their friends and collect orna-
ents and all sorts of things they can get
cap abroad, and try to slip them through
Ithout duty. Many people do this without
lowing that they are violating the law.
icy think that anything they do not intend
sell IS not dutiable. With thousands Of :
liars worth of things in their trunk, they
II swear that they have no dutiable goods.
lelr surprise is genuine when the goods are 1
zed. The question what constitutes a ladv's
a gentleman's wardrobe is one that bothers
much. In former years the station of the
rson was taken into consideration. If a =
ry wealthy man had a dozen suits of 4
tines, a lot OF jewelry, and all sorts of ex- Il
toggery, it was considered nothing n
re than his right. But for a mar of less =
ans to have so much made him an object
suspicion, and he was liable to arrest for
~oo-S "~AS way "ACA "OIlSl "A
b woman in fashionable life could bring
IF $1,000 worth Of jewelry and dresses,
this was logical, inasmuch as it
5ht properly be presumed that one who
lid not afford to wear such expensive toy
y must be bringing it not for their own
!, yet it seemed an unjust discrimination
inst the poor in favor of the rich, and the
thod had to be abolished-W ashington
I. l.
II. Labouchere does very little work now
his Truth, except to write a few political I
agraphs. Most of the work is done by
Horace Vowles.
Sol Smith Russell Caught,
[Chica.o News.1
z. Sol Smith Russell tells how IL "a
tly removed an acquaintance with Mr.
Schnelgarten, of Milwaukee. Schnel-
ZEN SGT up the beer, and presently he
{:
Lot me see, Sol, you pond me vas aboud
same age, amt it! How old vos Won